Breakfast Creek Wharf to Enoggera Creek

27 January 2008

We started this paddle from the small boat ramp beside the Breakfast Creek Wharf complex. Popular with power boat users it does require some patience and good manners as all parties must wait their turns both coming and going. Once launched we headed upstream on the last of the rising tide at around 11.30 AM. Beautiful clear day and the first part of the paddle goes past the Tripcony Slipway. We were the only paddlers on the water and the power boats headed out into the river so we had the creek to ourselves.

The creek skirts the end of Sandgate Road and is hardly scenic, passing the back of the Brisbane City Council bus depot and the businesses build along the creek. We passed two of the most ugly houseboats we have ever seen, as the photo attests. The usual suspects – liveupon boaties – greeted us as they worked on their boats – and after a short paddle we came to the bridge over Hudson Road. A large sign warned “mariners” to be cautious as they passed near the Transapex works over the creek. Whether we qualify as “mariners” in a sea kayak I am unsure but we took the warning. Fifty metres on you pass under a rail bridge and enter into a stretch bounded on both sides by high mangroves. Although the creek passes by the extremely busy Mayne railway yards, you would never have an inkling it is so well hidden from view. We passed under another pair of bridges and then came to a lovely stretch before rounding the bend and seeing the first of the Transapex Tunnel works. From the Inner City Bypass the work looks impressive but from the water it is positively intimidating. The two waste towers are massive and the conveyor belts carrying their burden of waste look massive from the creek.

It is only at this level that you learn how much is being done. As you pass under the conveyor belts you find pylons driven into the creek, widening of Bowen Bridge Road being undertaken and huge steel barriers built to protect the works from the creek flow. Around the Bowen Bridge Road section the Royal Brisbane Hospital comes into view and the creek wends its way eastwards. After all the recent rains the surface was covered in bubbles and a lot of floating debris brought down from Enoggera Creek. Kayakers and canoeists are uniquely placed to appreciate how much benefit the flush of the rains bring. The stagnant flows are revitalised and the waterways take on new life. We were constantly seeing shoals of small bait fish jumping and larger predatory fish chasing their meal. Birdlife was restricted to a bittern (we see one every time we go out), a black duck and little else.

About an hour into the paddle we reached Downey Park where baseball is played and a little later the back of Ballymore Park. From our low position on the creek, Ballymore is a massive structure reaching up with enormous light pylons stretching up into the heavens. Approximately at this point Breakfast Creek merges with Enoggera Creek and the paddle takes you up into Ashgrove. The problem was that we were seriously hungry by now and decided to return to the boat ramp. Had the water been a little cleaner we would have continued and readers of this blog should consider this trip now we have received some extra rain. The extra will have flushed the creek and I think it would be a better paddle. It was still quite enjoyable.

The return trip put us alongside some boaties with a tinnie hauling up crab pots near the bridge off the Inner City Bypass. These guys had a complete disregard for other water users and blasted off past us churning up the creek. Like a champ or kayak just rode the waves hitting us at an oblique angle, never looking like being unsettled. Every trip we take is a revelation of how stable this kayak is, particularly as I removed about 80 mm from the beam when I was building it. Good design, David Payne.

The return trip was uneventful except for the usual crowd at the ramp and a second chance to marvel at bad taste. We loaded the kayak, changed our clothes and went off to have a well-deserved Subway for lunch. Definitely a paddle I will do again, probably after the rains have cleaned out the creek and we can have another look at the progress of the Transapex Tunnel works.

Kayaking in the Boondall Wetlands

Boondall Wetlands 16 December 2007

This tract of wetlands is on the north side of Brisbane bordering the suburb of Shornecliffe. It is accessed from the carpark beside the Queensland Yacht Club in Sinbad Street where there is a small marina. Launching is from a boat ramp and Cabbage Tree Creek and Nundah Creek converge here. The trip is up Nundah Creek. The paddle is popular so expect to see other paddlers.

We timed our launch to coincide with the last of the rising tide to take advantage of the flow. This was around midday and the prevailing breeze was in our face at around 5 – 10 knots – pleasant and no impediment. We stayed on the south side of the river going up and were carried by a 3 knot tidal inflow. We were immediately joined by a curious Brahimy Kite which circled above us but decided we were too big to eat and too small to land on. The creek is around 100 metres wide and lined both sides with mangroves. It takes you all to way to the bicycle path bridge and the Gateway Arterial Motorway is nearby. The traffic noise is audible all the way along. This is a designated canoe trail and the Brisbane City Council publishes an information leaflet on the area.

Our initial impression was of little birdlife. The mangroves offer good protection for birds and apart from the Brahminy Kites we only saw a single bittern lurking in the undergrowth of the mangroves and one magnificent Great Egret fishing in the drowned roots of the mangroves. A couple of black ducks also made an appearance, but nothing else. We also passed a number of tinnies fishing and were passed by several day trippers with more horsepower than brains – the area in signed up at regular intervals for 6 KPH but some folk just never learn. Ah well! Our kayak rode the chop with nary a shake and felt very stable.

The area is habitat for black shouldered kites, plovers, ducks, sandpipers and the whimsically named godwits and whimbrels but we missed them all. It was a gusty day with a 15 - 20 knot breeze stirring up the water so possibly the wildlife kept to the shelter of the mangroves.

The return journey was a pain. We had a stiff breeze in our face which must have approached 20 knots and we kept to the north bank to shelter behind the mangroves. This worked until we rounded a bend and copped the breeze full in the face. This trip convinced me of the need to install a rudder, which I did immediately after this trip. We were turned around a full 180 degrees on two occasions and it took plain hard work to return the last two kilometres tot the marina.

However our labours were rewarded near the end. Coming back clinging to the northern shore we surprised a pair of Brahminy Kites which launched out of the mangroves less than five metres from where we were paddling. Up close these are magnificent birds and their appearance made the struggle back worthwhile.

This kayak is an excellent touring craft and since installing the rudder it is a whole new craft. It turns easily, still tracks perfectly straight but is now so much easier to turn and park against a pontoon or bank. My friends at Rosco Canoes at Windsor supplied the hardware and gave good support. All the staff is lovely and very helpful. http://www.roscocanoes.com.au/ There is a World Wetlands Day being organised for the 2^nd and 3^rd of February 2008 which Rosco is advertising on their website so hop on and register.

All in all I would rate this as on OK paddle. Nothing like the birdlife as we saw on our previous paddles but an interesting area and worth a day out. Definitely pick the top of the tide or the end of the rising tide and return on the top of the tide or a dropping tide. The wind picks up later in the day and blows up the river so the return journey is very hard work without having to fight the tide. My rating would be 3 out of a possible 5. I would like to paddle up Cabbage Tree Creek for an explore one day but it borders some busy roads so it might not be that attractive. Time will tell.

We have just completed two outings on Pumicestone Passage so keep an eye out for our next posting.

Kookaburra Park to College's Crossing

Kookaburra Park, Karana Downs to College’s Crossing

This trip is recommended in the “Places to Paddle” by Gerard and Tina Effeney Page 98. We launched from the boat ramp in Karana Downs, initially concerned by the number of power boats and water ski boats. No need to worry however as the river going upstream is speed limited to 6 KPH with numerous signs reminding boaties of the speed limit. It would be a brave or foolish power boat owner who flouted this rule as we bumped over numerous submerged rocks or trees as we kayaked up on the rising tide. Low tide would be very dangerous for power boats.

The river narrows here and is ideal canoeing territory. The tide reaches here about two and a half hours after the high tide at the pilot light in Moreton Bay. It doesn’t noticeably assist paddling upstream but you are certainly aware of the rising tide on the return trip. Once you reach College’s Crossing you can see the current going upstream quite easily as the river narrows substantially and you judge the peak before returning on the top of the tide or on the falling tide.

The Brisbane River is in good health if fish numbers are anything to judge by. We paddled past shoals of tiny bait fish scattering from unseen predators, saw a dozen or more larger fish jumping out of the water, including a freshwater perch right beside us about 200 mm long. The birdlife reflected the water life. We counted fifteen darters, both males and females (the males are all black, the females have brown and grey in their plumage), one black cormorant, six or eight more common pied cormorants, a small bittern lurking in the undergrowth as we passed, plenty of black and teal ducks and, our favourite – an azure kingfisher with a tiny silver fish in his beak. We were very lucky to meet him on the return trip and he flew past at water level less than two metres away. Spectacular! Birdlife was so prevalent Bobby, the wonder boy (my son) and I took bets on how many darters we would see. We even spotted a darter’s nest with a female sitting in attendance. On the shore we were treated to the calls of whipbirds all the way up the river. Pleasingly, and unlike Oxley Creek, there was little rubbish in the river. We only counted three plastic bottles, the scourge of rivers, and one milk crate.

Midway up the river we met some older boaties in a tinnie setting crab pots. They reckoned they took some mud crabs out of the river this far up. There were a few other fishermen on the banks and a tinnie we met on the way back. Just after the crabbers there is a lovely reddish rock escarpment that juts out into the river on the left (northern side) of the river.

Again, like the College’s Crossing to Mt Crosby Weir trip we saw a number of big swirls left in the water by submerging fish or turtles. Some of the swirls would have been larger than dinner plates and half were accompanied by a trail of bubbles. We are guessing these were left by turtles and the others by large fish resting near the surface. Kayaks allow almost silent running and we were within a metre of whatever submerged suddenly. One day I might just solve the mystery I know there are lung fish in the Stanley River as I saw them in the pools at the foot of Somerset Dam during a bad drought around 1960/61 so perhaps the swirls were lung fish breathing.

The area is perfect for kayaking. There is an absence of noise as the power boats are all downstream and the river isn’t close to the road. The first traffic noise comes as you approach College’s Crossing where the road crosses the river. About 500 metres from College’s Crossing you pass under the powerlines that traverse Karana Downs. This is the only signal you are reaching the end of the paddle. About 200 metres before College’s Crossing the river divides into a small and slightly stagnant stream to the right and the main channel to the left. As you come around the channel the big black water pipe is visible and just as we approached we hit an underwater obstruction with the skeg on the kayak. We bumped over it but at low tide this obstruction is the other water pipes that cross the river and you need to portage across them. It is very important to travel with the tides on this trip both up and down. The river level drops very fast on the falling tide and you can get trapped at College’s Crossing.

The current on the rising tide narrows here and speeds up and the current will carry you all the way past the picnic grounds and into the channel that goes up to the weir. You can disembark and have a picnic here or a swim but remember that sharks and stone fish have been found in the area. We returned as the tide was slowing but there was enough current to make it hard work. Once out of the narrow channel leading to College’s Crossing the river widens a little and the current has less effect. However remember that winds travel down rivers in the morning and up rivers in the afternoon. We had a good breeze on our nose all the way back as we returned after midday. By the time I reached the boat ramp my arms were begging for a rest! The time up was fifty minutes and the return trip the same.

I recommend this trip highly. Pick a high or rising tide and don’t get caught at College’s Crossing when the tide drops. It is an unpleasant portage according to friends in the Wooden Boat Association who did this trip in rowing boats. If you are into birdlife, enjoy solitude and the company of your son or daughter this is a great bit of river to explore.

Kayaks trips

Oxley Creek

I would definitely recommend you paddle on the rising tide if going upstream or falling tide if coming downstream. You get a 2 knot current which makes paddling much easier. Launch from the Sea Scouts pontoon at Pamphlett Bridge if you are paddling upstream. The creek passes behind the Rocklea Markets but the mangroves prevent you seeing any landmarks. It is popular with kayakers and passes behind the playing fields of St Josephs. The creek is tidal and quite salty.

Nosworthy pontoon comes up on the left about 15 – 20 minutes into the paddle. Not a good haul out spot as the track is narrow and there is a long portage to the car park. No other haul out spots until Cliveden Avenue Reserve on the right after an hour and ten or twenty minutes. nfortunately the two spots aren't labelled so you have no idea where you are on the creek.

The Cliveden Avenue pontoon is recognizable by old demolished jetty at the site and factory behind mangroves on the left of the creek. Not too memorable a paddle. Creek water quite muddy and lots of floating debris including plastic water bottles. Not much bird life. Quite salty down near Brisbane River but less so as you progress up river. We reached Cliveden Avenue Reserve approximately two hours after high tide at the Bar and tide still rising. This spot is at one end of the Corinda Golf Course.

On balance this is not a very interesting paddle. The mangroves each side of the creek prevent you seeing anything and the water is very muddy. However on a rising tide it is an easy paddle and a good one to start with.

Colleges Crossing

This stretch of the river must only be attempted on the high tide or near the top of the tide. On a low tide the river going up to the Mt Crosby Weir is too low to allow paddling all the way to the weir. Remember bull sharks have been seen this far up the river and foot protection is essential if wading because stone fish have been found in the area.

Launching on the high tide gives a lovely leisurely hour plus paddle up to the weir. The launching area is on a large lagoon which gives you a chance to get organised before heading out into the channel. Black swans are always in the area.This stretch of the Brisbane River is alive with fish life and consequently birdlife. We counted 6 snake birds or darters, three cormorants, one bittern, five pelicans, four black ducks, five moorhens, five black swans and , the piece de resistance, one azure kingfisher.

Towards the weir you pass through some geologically interesting terrain. The river has carved out a gorge through solid conglomerate rock (which looks like natural concrete) and there is a wonderful conglomerate cliff you can climb up to. There are standing pillars of the conglomerate in the river which winds about at this point. About 150 metres past the cliff you encounter a very narrow channel which leads to a lake of water hyacinth. This prevents any further paddling but the first weir wall is less than twenty metres past this point so it is not too much of a loss. The water here shelves out to less than a metre on a stony river bed and the river narrows down to less than ten metres.

All said an excellent paddle which I would recommend.